Valve diaphragm



Oct. 28, 1952 RQMGFARLAND, JR

VALVE DIAPHRAGM Filed March 28, 1949 2 Sl-IEETS-Sl-IEET 1 N .mi

lllIllII-llllllll llll INVENToR. ROLL/wvo Mc FMLA/v0 Je.

Oct. 28, 1952 RJMGFARLAND, JR

v VALVE DIAPHRAGM Filed Maron 28, 1949 i' 2 SHEETS-Smm 2 IN VEN TOR. .9a/.LAM Mc Flu/wo J/z.

FM Mm? FIG. 5

Patented Oct. 28, 1952 YSims f v2,615,471 vALvi.;k DIAPHRAGM y Rolland McFarland, Jr., Chicago, lll., assignorv to Hills-McCanna Company, Chicago, Ill., a, cor- Y poration of Illinois ,Application March 2s, 1949, seria; No. 83,930 j j `"This-invention relates to diaphragms for diaphragm valves. The invention is more particularlylconcernecl with a new type of internal construction to eliminate mechanical weaknesses and service difculties that have arisen in the? maximum" advantage is takenvv of their propertiesfof elastic1 deformation, recovery, resistance to" absorption, and/or chemical resistance.

' However, such materials require some type of internal,emechancalgreinforcement to minimize 'eic'essive elastic' deformation, permanent set or 'coldfowf andto strengthen the diaphragm member' ag'ainstmechanical stresses imposed. vat

.valve closure, and to' resist both mechanicalfand 'internal I uidpressuresin the valve when the valve isin operation. For this purpose pliesiof heavy fabric; such as cotton duck, are placedbetween layers of'rubber or other elastomer'and 'tlejbuilt-up layers molded or adhesively bound together tomale'an integrated diaphragm.

Further, lit is usually necessary to 'incorporate inthejdiaphragm a metallic member inthe form 'oifay threaded stud whichcan be attached to the 'compressor ofthe valve, which compressor is in turn attached'to the valve stem so thatA vthe position and travel of the diaphragm canvbe conft'rolledbetween the full closed position andthe full'open position. f vWiththe conventional ydiaphragm construction it has been d iicult to prevent the steel stud from pullingjreefrom the diaphragm member, either ybecause of stickingofthe diaphragm to the valve Weir when the valve is in closed position, or when the valve wasusedin a vacuum line.V Further', because of the methodv of plying-up the various layers of rubber, stock vand fabric, inconsistent quality diaphragms were produced because of uncontrolled factors in manufacturing, such as delaysy between thebuild-up operation, room temperature `curing of cement between the diaphragm plies, 'auto-curing, bloom, or migration 6 claims. (c1. 137-793)l Cil `of stud and metal guard to pull loose.

of the uncured rubber layers, delay in sequence of operation 'of manufacturing, and lack of consistent performance .during various labor operations in the diaphragm build-up and fabrication.

Further diiiiculty khas occurred.- because of 'im- `proper positioning vandU location of the' fabric plies or inserts-in thel bodiesl of the diaphragms, and particularly with the fabric inserts which extend throughout the body' of the diaphragm and lunderthe stud head. Hence, where excessive closing `force or torque iis-inadvertentlyappliedto the valve hand-wheel, sullicient internal stress is set upV inthe diaphragm, particularlyY in that area undervth'eY studhead, to cause these fabric inserts to'frupture an'dlsplit. The diap'hragm sthen weakened, this varea loses all reinforcement and further,'heav'y closure can rup'' ture or split the ydiaphragm ori-the liquid side (that side' of the diaphragm which contacts the huid nowing through'the valve). v f v Various specialstud head designs, 'and metal reinforcing members have been molded ,into the nubbin area to prevent the stud head from pulling out of the hole surrounding the stud shank.

' In the majority lof instances these various Adesigns werejunsuccessful, because of lack of adhesion between the metalmembers and the surrounding elastomer, or because of severe pinching Aaction between the stud head, and the metallic inember covering the stud head, which caused .the elastomer in this area to crack undercom pressive stress, and permit the entireassembly lThese various reinforcing metal members, or special studs, resulted in excessive costs of producing these members, as well as increased costshin inserting them and molding them into-the nubbin section of the diaphragm. l l

Analysis of the problem showed that any fabric -lying onor under the neutral axisvof thediaphragm., and lying also under the stud head, injvariably ruptured under excessive diaphragm closure. Thisyhas been due to the fact that eX- cessive force is always created,during closure, in that area under the Stud head. It was'not found possible, however, to provide a sulcient thickness of fabric or to reduce sui'liciently stress or distortion in the fabric, to prevent the rupturing of the fabric when it was located in this area.

It is necessary, however, rtoprovide Vsome type of fabric insert under the stud heacL'soV as to .act as a licor to bear the greater'portion, ofstress imparted by the stud head in diaphragm closure, and further to distribute this stress Aof thestud head to a sufficient extent'to prevent failure of the underlying elastomeric stock in this area, because of excessive compressive stress imposed on this elastomeric material, directly from the stud head.

It was discovered that sufficient reinforcing action for mechanical pressure and fluid pressure requirements could be achieved by locating the ply or 'pliesof fabric above' the-'stud head and above the neutral axis of the diaphragm, so'that during closing stress this fabric is free of the high compressive stress under the stud head and is never suiiiciently stretched and distortedtothe point of failure. Further, it was found possible to provide a satisfactory vffloor. orestress fdistributing member for compressivestress-result ing from the stud head in closure, by utilizing one or more iioating discs of fabric-which.could-be placed immediately below the stud head. In this way, the stress distribution of these fabricrdiscs could be immediately taken advantage of, and ifurther, the' .use ofiabric discs .under .thevstud lhead fp ermitted. unrestrained distribution of stress-,1Whichcould beweffectively-absorbed'fwith- .,outfracture.

- '.pThe l re.:location=of fthe; fabric i `inserts the :diaphragm made it Vpossibleftowutilize a thick :.calendered .funreinforced'elastomer section for the :lower portion ofthe diaphragm :in thatzarea confstituting'` the `liquid.` side offtheadiaphragm.

Wifi-ththeoldV ylocationbf .the fabric :layers runder the stud 'headandi` in. that area-underneath the :neutral :axis of the rdiaphragm, it was al-ways :necessary to buildethe' :portionfoff .they .liquid side of -It-he .diaphragm :through tedious lamination .and adhesion -of zmultipleL--layers of-thin elasto- Vmerio stockuntila; sumcient thickness:` was :built .up tofreach .thetiirst ffabricinsert, lying below'the neutral-:axis of lthe diaphragm. :Because `of. the largeaamount ,of .hand .labor involved, aA large number of defectivediaphragmsQwereproduced, which. diaphragms failed .prematurely .inservice .1 ,fluids are .absorbed to. ,al .greater or.. lesser ,degree in: elastomericniaterials. This. absorption .takes place .at various. .rates of time.. and this 'absorption will ultimately .result .in .reaching those points `of.cen1entz`ition. oradherence. ofthe elastomeric .layer-aas. one proceeds from the outer .face .of the Adiaphragm .liquid side to the rdiajphragm interior, .and then to the rst `'fabric .reinforcement in the diaphragm. As a result, in `those diaphragms consisting of multiple thin layers of stock' in. ,this area, the phenomena of absorptionfwill, in .'most linstances, eventually rea'ch these multiple points of adhesion, weaken them, or destroy-thementirely;andthe :dia- 'vphragm' quickly-'fails' in service.

By freeing the lcwverportion4 'of the 'diaphragm 1froml 'fabric inserts, it was f found possibleA to utilize a thick, heavy'and homogeneous layer of `Astock which can lbe "made on vstandard 1 rubber calendering machines, to produce in sheetforma `heavy "andi-sound' lowerv member which isA -f-ree -of vlayers v or `points -of' i adhesion, thereby eliminating `thefclrawbac-:ks@inherent in lldiaphragms asl heretofore fabricated.

"One of the objects lof this invention, therefore, fisltoprovideamethod of anchoring the stud-head in -avalve diaphragm in such mannerthat -it Iwill `not' pull out '-duringf normal operationinv` service,

orlwliile, the valve Iis 'functioning runder' vacuum.

:Anotherzobj ect of .this :invention -isllto -relocate l .'.theiifabricinserts 'in the` diaphragm so` that-.the rpossib'ility/.zof fracturing .1 these. fabric. inserts-is reduced.

.'.Still :another.objectof-this invention. is to '.devisexamethod oflmanufacturewherein'manual -view of the diaphragm looking at the top side (compressor or dry side) of the diaphragm with portions laid back to show the fabric layer bezneathit; n

`l.11"igure2ds::applan view of the novel diaphragm looking' at the under or liquid side thereof, with iaportionturnedback to show the fabric insert;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional View of the diaphragm taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary view of l.the centergportion of. thefsectionlshownn; Figure --3;fl and f :Figure-bris: anvenlarged, ,plan -viewl'lookingfzvat .the-top-mostfabricply or, button.

aReferri-rrg nto. the drawingsJ-Iais the lcorn-presser sideezof the` .diaphragm :consisting fofe a -elayerrA of natural. rubber.orxsyntheticfelastomer. .-.PI'h-e :but- ...tonfof fabric 2,:is, cementedinrplaceldmmediately .below -elastomer;layer; and .contains zan..awl, .-hole `-tcxaccommodate stud shank-3. Lis alfabriclmsert `r.below button 2, extending y .l throughout the' `.dia-

phragm and also having an awl hole at itsfcenter yto accommodate the stud shank .3. Therfabric ply i4 nis 4cemented between' thin .layers fof elastomer.. y

i Referring..morev `particularly.ato Figure y2, buis the. `liquidiace.;` (wetted side) ofithex .,diaphragm. i'6 A`.is ,the:.sealing bead. on` the-,diaphragmliquid ,facadescribedf and.. show-n PatentL 2,302,930 ato insureI a.A liquid-.tight gseal when the; .diaphragm is bolted...between.-.the. flanges: of. the :valvefzbody and valve `bonnet vand v.closed against the valve .wein :A portion..of...the bottom.facebf thadiaj- -phragmis turned back-toshow. two. superimposed .phragm immediatelybelowthe stud head? 8'., and -immediately.. above :neutral ...axis 9 vof theqdia- .phragin As is apparentfromthe drawi-ng, ,but- .tons L' 2, '1. ,and L8 are .off greater .areasthanestud head- 82 .but smaller..in .-ar.ea.,than`4 the.,bowl.por 4.tion .ofjthe diaphragm.V

L'Figure. B-.isenlarged .toshowtthe new flocation of the .'"fabric insert, vthe .extent .-.of...calendered tma'chine-made) portion. yof .the .diaphragm -on thelgliquid. side, and also .the locationofgizhe v.two iioating discs offab'ric" 1..and.'.8.nnder1the stud head. As shown' inthisgure'fabric insert' -Llies abovethe neutral axis 9: of thediaphragm. 'lll-.is the `nubbinarea ofthediaphragm. "Il and'lf' represent'collars formed: by the'piled or' hunched fabric cords vresulting from displacement Aby 'ja sharp pointed awl of the fibers' of'button1".2..and loverlying fabric-"plyit to the` 'side"to* makera -circular-passage' for the 'stud shank A'3. 12" isithe -machine'emade (calendered): thicksection frubv`ber-or-elastomer4` stock constituting-the diaphragm liquid 'side' l(vvrii'fte'd side) l The construction of` theawlholes' and' the deformation iof; 'the -ibers of ltheff'abrias 'produced under the Anew-method,'-withthe?-bunching of'lthe `fibers aroundI the-'stud'shank '3' resultsein` a'fhi'ghstrength.: collar- -o'f rein-forcement, -11 Which-#greatly 'diminishes y. the Vprobability of fthe L'stud *head `pulling'out ofthe fdia'phragmf either :by reasonlof :mechanicaliabuse ortheapplication of vacuum the cut ends of the fabric further tore apart, no

reinforcement of the elastic stock lwas obtained in this area, and the stud head could then snap throug ,"j the elastic nubbin'se'ction.

By using an awl hole in the fabric I l, and relying upon the unbroken cord or strands of the fabric to produce a reinforcing collar of fibers Il and I I around the stud shank and over the stud head 8', satisfactory anchoring of the stud head is achieved. This beneficial effect is further enhanced by using a plurality of fabric inserts over the stud head with these fabric inserts utilizing the "awl hole design, to pass the stud shank 3, and yet give the proper reinforcing action to the stud head 8', to prevent the stud head from pulling through the awl holes in the fabric cloth. Although I have shown only two layers of fabric through which the stud passes, additional layers may be used, particularly on larger size diaphragms.

Because of the reinforcing effect of the fiber collars Il and Il resulting from displacing the Warp and Woof to one side to produce an awl hole for passing the stud shank 3, it is possible to take advantage of the anchored area of the entire diameter of the fabric inserts 2 and 4, when these are cemented and adhered to the layers of elastomer lying on either side of the fabric inserts. Further, when stress is put upon the stud shank 8', the initial load to pull out the stud head is carried by the fabric collars Il and Il', which in turn permit the distribution of the stress throughout the anchored area of the fabric inserts.

Comparative tests of the standard diaphragms made by the old method, of experimental diaphragms incorporating special metallic anchoring members for the stud in the nubbin area, and of diaphragms produced with the awl hole fabric collar anchorage in accordance with this invention showed that the awl hole gave superior performance, and exhibited greater resistance to pull-out loads when the studs were forcibly pulled from the main body of the diaphragm.

The number of fabric inserts is not limited to those shown, but instead, a plurality of fabric inserts can be used, particularly on diaphragms of larger size, but regardless of the number of fabric inserts used, they should be arranged in a similar manner and in the locations shown and described.

The diaphragm shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 is an actual size diaphragm for a 2-inch valve. It will be seen that the thick calendered portion l2 lying below the neutral axis 9 constitutes the major thickness of the diaphragm except at the nubbin. y

Diaphragme constructed in accordance With this invention are, after being assembled, molded under heat and pressure to give the shape shown in the drawings in the same manner as is done with conventional diaphragms.

.It will be seen, therefore, that by this new internal construction in the diaphragm, that I am able to mold diaphragme which are not susceptible to loss of adhesion and delamination in that area adjacent to the diaphragm liquid side and that I am able to mold diaphragms such that the fiber collar surrounding the stud shank now eliminates to a large :degree the former'diculty' of the stud pulling free from theunai the diaphragm.r As used in the claims, the'terr'n v applies" to natural Y rubberv or artificiali` having elastic properties similartorub I claim:

1."A*v'alveV diaphragm made of elastoineirland for'use in connection with a valve' havirgf-aweirl between its inlet and outlet, said diaphragm hav-l ing a central bowl-shaped portion, a'stud itsfhead'embedded in the center ofmsaid d1a` phragm and its shank lprotruding therefrom;

' head thereof embedded in the diaphragm, said diaphragm comprising an elastomer having at least one layer of fabric covering substantially the entire area of the diaphragm, embedded therein above the stud head, at least one additional woven fabric insert in said diaphragm above said stud head and immediately surrounding the stud shank, the area of said last mentioned insert being a minor fraction of the area of said diaphragm, but substantially greater than the area of the stud head, said fabric layer and insert having their fibers spread apart at their centers to form openings surrounded by unruptured fibers through which the stud shank passes.

3. A flexible diaphragm having a stud, the head of which is embedded in the center of said diaphragm, said diaphragm comprising a relatively thick nonlaminated elastomer bottom portion, a plurality of alternate fabric and thinner elastomer layers adhesively bound to said bottom portion, at least one of said fabric layers, having an area at least as large as that of said stud head but only a small fraction of the area ofthe diaphragm, lying immediately beneath said stud head, and at least one woven fabric layer of substantially the same area as said diaphragm overlying said stud head, said last mentioned fabric layer having a hole therethrough to accommodate the stud shank, but smaller than said stud head, the bers of said fabric being unruptured and continuous adjacent said hole.

4. A fiexible valve diaphragm having a central bowl-shaped portion, comprising a thick ply of elastomer, at least two thinner plies of elastomer of substantially the same area as said thick ply, a nubbin formed at the center of the outermost thin elastomerply, a woven fabric insert immediately beneath the outermost thin elastomer ply and of lesser area than said bowl-shaped portion, a woven fabric insert, of substantially the same area as said elastomer plies, between the inner thin elastomer plies, a stud having its head buried in said diaphragm at its center with the stud shank passing through holes in said two first mentioned fabric inserts surrounded by fibers, al1 of which are continuous and unruptured from edge to edge of said inserts, and protruding through said nubbin, and at least two woven fabric inserts immediately below the stud head, thevarea of said last mentioned inserts being largerrighansaidzstud beachlcm.t;.1ess` thanl thathfv.

saidabowlf-shapectportion.`I

5. A diaphragm in accordance Wthxlam in;

Whichaizher.bersfadjacent said hole arebunched having atleast one Woven ber insert, the threads or'berstofzsaid insert adjacentthe `centerzof said nserftbengvfforced apart to formaho1e .of su cient-size tmaccommodate -the shankof a stud: passing therethroughl andl having its head anehoredn sad.1daphragm, all the -bers which anaadjacenttofsaid .shank .being4 continuous and.

unbroken.- andrbeing hunchedA toget'xerf .tou form a. around said..

REFERENCES CITED' vThe:following references are of record-inthe.'

file of this;patenti;` n

UNITED STATES PATENTSl Namev Date, Rogers July 20,1943

J Number 

